Indicator stalk

After a year of almost faultless motoring a problem has arisen. The indicator stalk does not click and hold when indicating to turn right and does not auto return when turning left. The stalk would seem to be the same as on most vehicles of the age but is it an easy mend? I havent wanted to start pulling it apart as I have never "tinkered" around the steering wheel of a car and wouldnt know what to look for. Any ideas how easy it is to repair?

It is exactly the same stalk as used on all 986 and 996s. There are 3 types available - 2. 3, and 4 lever, depending on equipment fitted. I don't think you will be able to repair it, as the plastic tab is probably broken, and most people replace the whole thing. If you would like instructions, drop me an email, and I'll send them when I get to my PC in the morning.

Pretty much what I thought Richard. Is it a straight forward repair that my local garage should be able to fix or is a trip to OPC

I have the same problem with mine and I know it is a broken tab becasue I found it lyingon the driver's footwell carpet. Inexplicably if you have obc but no cruise control, i.e. 3 levers the cost is over a hundred pounds more than the four lever switch. Having looked at pictures of the switch on somewhere like type 911 it looks very much as if I can by a two lever switch and fit my obc control to the barcket that comes on the two lever switch. Last time I looked this was still nearly £100; the three lever version was a stupid £270, but I'm all for a bit of screwdriver weilding if it saves me £170. Richard, plus one on the instructions please

I just don't understand why the stalks are so expensive. I rekon you could get one machine from alloy for less than that.

Just the costs associated with small volume production Chris? Perhaps with access to the VAG parts bin, parts such as this will be cheaper in future but I wouldn't count on it. It does seem odd that the 4-stalk unit is cheaper than the 3-stalk. Maybe Porsche over-ordered the 4-stalk units in anticipation of high cruise-control take-up and have an ample stock. Jeff

John, you are correct that you can swap the OBC stalk from a 3-lever stalk to a 2-lever. However,, if you don't have cruise control fitted, why not get a 4-stalk unit and retrofit cruise at the same time. It would cost you about £10 more in parts for your car. I'll send the stalk instructions anyway, but retrofitting CC is a bit of a no-brainer in your situation.

It is a fairly straightforward procedure. Disconnect the battery, to prevent the airbag light from coming on. Remove the airbag - 2 torx screws from the back. Remove the steering wheel and "clock spring", and swap the stalk unit. There are a couple of finer points, positioning the stalk unit correctly in particular, so it is worth having the instructions.

Nice thought Richard but I am rarely at a constant speed long enough to warrant cruis, but interesting to know that as I understand, for the price of the three switch assembly, I can buy the four stalk switch and other components to fit cruise. Bizzarre pricing structure.

Up to you John, but I find cruise useful for things like the average speed camera areas at road works. I also use it in some long, open, 30 and 40mph areas, where it is so easy to be doing a points-scoring speed without really feeling like it. A good selling point too.

Totally agree with Richard and recently retrofitted my car with cruise control, as Richard says, invaluable for controlled stretches of road and on long journeys like Norfolk to Stoke via Silverstone, back via London last weekend! Fuel economy seems to improve a bit too as throttle is not being open and closed so often when cruising at constant speed....it makes sense to convert!

Have to say that I agree with Richard and Stuart. One of the most useful extras you can get for our increasingly speed-limited roads and should be a standard fitment on all Porsches IMO. It's a sort of hand throttle to me. Like Richard I use it regularly in 30/40mph restricted areas and often find myself at the front of queue with a clear road ahead; which suits me fine..! Jeff

Just have to remember that according to the manual it wont work above 120 mph [ ]

Richard, thanks for the instructions, it looks a lot simpler than I thought! A couple of questions though, 1, Where would you recommend buying the stork unit and 2, is adding cruise as simple as adding a 4th stork? surely there's more to it than that?

Chris, I'd try your local PC for a price (if you were a Club member, you'd get a 10% discount). Richard will confirm, but I think that cruise control will need to be activated via PIWIS or Durametric software. Jeff

1) Apart from an OPC (always worth checking prices with them, as they are sometimes cheaper), try Type911, Carparts911, etc. You can also look on eBay, but quite often parts get on there for the wrong reasons. 2) It depends very much on the model, as to how easy it is to retrofit. There is an article in the Technical Articles section on OBC and Cruise retrofits, but here it is again: On-Board Computer: This is essentially the same for all models of 996 (and Boxster). The OBC you will get is the 5-function computer of the early model cars. Even if you have the later 'dot-matrix' instrument cluster of the later Boxster, you will only get the early-type display. There are two basic options: Switch - This involves fitting a rocker switch into one of the spare positions on the dash, and connecting three wires - one to earth, and the other two to the instrument cluster. You will then need to have the OBC activated with a Porsche System Tester 2 (PST2) or PIWIS. The switch will give you access to four of the five functions of the OBC - average speed, fuel consumption, fuel range, and outside temperature. To get the 5th function, the speed warning gong, you need to fit another switch and two more wires to the instrument cluster, or a 3-way steering control column stalk. On a degree of difficulty (DoD) scale of 1-10 it is about a 3 and takes about 1 1/2 hours (for a first timer). Stalk - If you fit a 3-way steering column stalk you get full access to all OBC functions. Obviously, this is a more complicated retrofit. You have to change the stalk, which involves removing the steering wheel and airbag, replacing the original stalk, running one wire to earth and four wires to the instrument cluster. At this point it is worth mentioning that a 3-way stalk is more expensive than a 4-way stalk, so you might want to consider a cruise control retrofit at the same time. DoD is about a 4, and reckon on around 3 hours. Cruise: Three different DME (Digitale Motor Elektronik) or engine control modules, were used on the 996: DME Version 5.2.2 "" MY1997-1999 (except C4 which were Version 7.2) DME Version 7.2 "" MY2000-2001 DME Version 7.8 "" MY2002-2004 Cars with DME Version 5.2.2 use a cable operated throttle. To retrofit cruise you need to fit a control actuator, throttle pedal and cable, control stalk, and wire the whole thing up. It isn't for the faint-hearted, as I have found out personally. The system is controlled completely independently by the actuator, so there is no coding required with the PST2. To source new components would probably be prohibitive (cost-wise) so you would need to obtain used parts from a breaker. DoD is about an 8, and about 8-10 hours work. DME 7.2 uses electronic throttle (sometimes referred to as eGas, or fly-by-wire) which makes the retrofit process a lot easier, as the cruise control module exists in the DME. Check for option code M620 to see if you have electronic throttle. The retrofit involves fitting the control column stalk, running one wire to the fuse box, three wires to the DME (behind the rear seats) and a wire between the DME and instrument cluster. The cruise control will then require activation (coding) in the DME with a PST2. DoD is about a 5, and it takes about 4 hours. DME 7.8 also uses electronic throttle, but the cruise control module is in the instrument cluster. This makes the process simpler. After fitting the control stalk you have to run one wire to the fuse box, and three wires to the instrument cluster. The system has to be activated with a PST2. DoD is around a 4 and it takes around 3 hours. The reason I suggested it to John, as his has DME7.8, is that it would add about 45 minutes to the time taken to change the stalk unit, and cost an extra £10 in parts. Chris - if yours is pre-2000 then it is no easy task.

Thanks for that. I think mine is a 7.2 so might consider it

If you do, let me know, and I'll send you a wiring diagram.